Covid-19, the related economic crisis, and the shock in oil and gas prices could serve as a catalyst for transformative changes in the Mediterranean that might revitalize regional economies along with a stronger decarbonisation.

Paradoxically, Israel’s threat of annexation of part of the West Bank should be viewed as an opportunity to focus on a decades-long drama unfolding before our eyes and on which we as Europeans have become progressively more complicit.

Covid-19 has not hit North Africa as violently as Europe, but governments have adopted strict measures, with significant consequences on human rights. Furthermore, the pandemic economic consequences will be devastating in the short-to-medium term for the already cash-strapped North African countries, posing a major threat to the fragile social contracts between the state and society.